The Seasonal Cook

This little piggie went to market, part three: Dinner 

My pork chop, my love.

I made a couple chops when we got home from the farm, one each for J. and myself, but (and I hang my head in shame here), I overcooked them. Look, I haven’t cooked a pork chop in years – the nasty dry things that you can get at the supermarket aren’t worth cooking. I followed the method and timing given by The Best Recipe, high heat to sear one minute on each side, then reduce to medium and cover for 4 minutes on the first side, then five minutes on the second. This produced an overcooked chop. Maybe my chops were thinner than theirs? They weren’t completely dried out, but were clearly overdone. Frustrated, Sunday night I decided I had to have another go at it. Salted and peppered the chop, using both white and black peppers. One minute sear per side, then three minutes covered on medium-low, followed by another three minutes covered, then a test. A little underdone. Back on for one minute. Perfection. I took the chop out, poured off all but about a tablespoon of fat, then cooked in the fat about a ¼ cup of finely chopped onions. After a few minutes, I added a mixture of cumin, allspice, and ground chili pepper, and sauteed for another minute. I added about ¼ cup of rum, in which had been soaked about ¼ cup of raisins, and 1 T dark brown sugar, which was satisfying because the pan gave off a tremendous hiss. I let that mixture reduce for a minute or so, then added the juice of half a lemon. This sauce provided a spicy/fruity counterpoint to the chop, which actually tasted like meat instead of cardboard, and was tender and juicy. If you like something a bit more piquant, a tablespoon of vinegar could replace the lemon juice.